With hundreds of thousands of people set to line the streets of London for the Queen's funeral, the Met Office has predicted it could be a soggy affair. The Queen will lie in state in Westminster Hall for four days from Wednesday before her funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19.
Today (September 12) there were largely sunny spells across Edinburgh where King Charles III and his Queen Consort were with some members of the Royal Family. It came as the Queen was taken from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to nearby St Giles’ Cathedral where her family, and a congregation drawn from all areas of Scottish society, are attending a service of thanksgiving for her life.
The public will be able to view the coffin to pay their respects for 24 hours before it is taken to London to lie in state on Wednesday. There may be a “possible” damp start to Wednesday brought on by a band of overnight showers that are set to break out along the south of England, according to Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon.
Mr Dixon said: “There are some showers possible early on Wednesday. It will still feel quite mild with maximum temperatures of 23C which is above average for the time of year.
“If you are heading out early on Wednesday, then bringing an umbrella would probably be advisable with the nature of the showers around. As it heads into the afternoon, that risk does lessen slightly but it will generally be feeling quite mild.”
Mr Dixon added that Thursday will be an “overcast day with a fair bit of cloud around but not much in the way of rain”. Precise forecasts about the weather conditions for Monday’s funeral are still being drawn up.
Mr Dixon said that “patchy cloud with some interludes of sunshine is the most likely scenario for Monday at present” in the south while other regions may see some light showers. Sir Mark Rowley, the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner, described preparations for the Queen’s lying in state, which begins on Wednesday, as a “massive challenge”.
It will involve thousands of officers it is something “we have been preparing for many, many years”. He told Sky News: “We will have a safe event but we will be putting thousands of officers into this because of the level of security required and the millions of people who want to pay their respects.”
